Ex-Google CEO: There Will Be Two Versions of The Internet by 2028

Eric Schmidt, Google’s former CEO, has made a bold prediction about the internet. According to him, by 2028 the internet will be divided into two parts – one led by China and the other by the US.

Speaking at an event organized by investment firm Village Global VC, former CEO of Google and executive chairman of its Alphabet, Google’s parent company expressed his views on the internet.

“I think the most likely scenario now is not a splintering, but rather a bifurcation into a Chinese-led internet and a non-Chinese internet led by America.”

His prediction is considered important as Google is pushing hard to launch a Chinese and censored version of its search engine named; the secret search engine is named “Project Dragonfly.”

Through this, Google is trying to penetrate the Chinese market which has long eluded from the tech giant owing to strict laws. The censored search engine, to avoid government policies, would block sensitive search queries related to democracy, religion, peaceful protest, and humans rights.

Schmidt, who was sharing the stage with some other startup founders, praised Chinese tech products and services. He cited the example of Starbucks’ operation in the East Asian country. Starbucks in China does not have registers; instead, customers pay through their smartphones and get the coffee.

Schmidt voiced his opinions on building products that are valuable rather than the products that are meant for hogging money. He said that there are very less companies that “measure the right things.”